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Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney has reacted to Sam Allardyce’s departure from the England national team.

The 30-year-old striker stated that it was a ‘shame‘ to see the former Sunderland boss leave the role.

Rooney offered an oddly sympathetic response to events whereas the general tone from fans and the media has been far more critical of Allardyce.

“We need to build on the three points we won in the last game (against Slovakia), and the other side of it isn’t our issue, it’s nothing for us to be concerned about,” Rooney was quoted as saying by ITV.

“It’s a shame, everyone could see how excited Sam was for the job and he came in and showed that enthusiasm to the players. It’s a shame it’s happened and I’m sure he deeply regrets it. It was a decision for the FA to take.

“As a group of players we need to stick together and concentrate on the football. For the FA I’m sure it has been a tough couple of weeks but for the players we’ve been with our clubs and we have to focus on the games.”

Allardyce was forced to leave his job after he was caught out by undercover reporters from The Telegraph.

The former England international Gareth Southgate has been appointed as England interim manager. Southgate will oversee England’s games against Malta and Slovenia.

Rooney has retained the captaincy despite the change of manager. The experienced striker has lost his place in Manchester United’s starting lineup recently after scoring just one goal in ten appearances.

The Red Devils were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw with Stoke City on Saturday which leaves United five points behind the league leader Manchester City.